Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125982
.... s-. ~ The riders dimbecl to over 6.000 ft. on the sec:ond loop. By There were' some very thrilling times for sOme people. Ron Schneiders BALLINGER CANYON, CA~,:.!..MAR. 23 .. In spite of the fact that clubs frOID:, both north and south California have ' held enduros which have, been titled "National Championships" by the AMA, few if any of the events have been National ' Championships in fact. Regardless of the AMA, an event cannot be a .. National " an ything when t h e contestants all come from one region of one state. The Dirt Diggers ' Red Garter, a n A M A de s ign ated Na tional Championship, is not qu ite National in this sense either, but it's getting close and is well on its way to becoming a classic North-South confrontat ion. 36 Th e characteristics of the Red Garter which are helping to make it a true National Championship ate good ground a n d good o rganizat ion. Northern Californians ride primarily in the forest and claim desert riding is boring and bi ke breaking. Southern Californians ride alm ost exclusively in the desert and claim that riding " n ort h" is tedious, dangerous, and impossibly 'c old . Th e fact is that n either group does very well on the other's turf. The Red Garter, however, is held in Los Padres National Forest, which has a un ique blend of both desert and forest so that both groups can feel som ewhat at home. Due to the distances involved , it is still primaril y a southern event , bu t each year ' th ere are a few more northern riders. From the north this year came Cosby Chestnut and Ben Bower, a contingent from the Richmond Ramblers, a CERA North group led by Don Stewart, Bob Keys, and probably a few others I didn't see. From out of state were Reno's Hawley Slayton and Bob Nickelson lately of Colorado. Bob is pushing a heavy Honda Trials effort and singing awry, off-key version of "Back Home Again. " The course of this year's Red Garter dif fered only slightly from last y ear's course. Loop No. On e was 37.8 miles long. Fr o m the p rivate-ownership campground the course went into the Nati on al Forest and followed a torturousl y co n vo luted p ath east . , towards Apache Potero Camp, and then came bac k to camp site outside the forest proper. The first loop was really : fine riding, as the course simply went up one ridge and then down cany ons between the ridges with no on e type of ) ridin g predominating for more than a few minutes at a tim e. On the ridge trails the rid ers continuously skirted d disaster in th e form of sharp drop offs J and dodged tr ees every fe w seconds. Down in the canyons it was mostly , desert- ty pe sandwash , with fairly h eavy " power-robbing damp sand. On the high trails the northerners easily zipped past s o u t he r n r iders who w ere morc con cerned ab out staying on ' the narrow trail than making up time. Down in the